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A Silent Peal 
from the Liberty Bell 



BY 

ADALINE MAY CONWAY, A.M., Ph.D. 



± 



PHILADELPHIA 

GEORGE W. JACOBS & COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 



^6 6V 



Copyrigrht, 1914 
By George W. Jacobs & Co. 



FEB -4 1214 
©CI.A361866 



To 

Laddie 




The Liberty Bell 

"I, the old Liberty Bell, shall share with 
you my memories" (p. 12). 



To my eyes they did point out the symbol of Liberty, 

And to my ears they did direct the sound. 

It was only a sound of dong-dong, 

And it came from an instrument of brass made by man. 

The bell did not ring to my ears; 

I could not hear the voice in my ears; 

But in my heart its tones took hold, 

And I learned that its brazen tongue 

Even in silence told of struggles against wrong. 

These good sons of America 

Call the Liberty Bell ancient; 

But I who come from the oldest of the lands, 

A student of the philosophy of ages. 

Know that what this bell speaks 

Is of Heaven's wisdom. 

Millions of centuries before the earth was born. 

It repeats the heart words of the gods; 
It repeats, only repeats; 
But let it do so to the end. 



From the Memoirs of Li Hung Chang 

By permission of Houghton Mifflin Co. 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



PAGE 

"I, the old Liberty Bell, shall share with 

you my memories" Frontispiece 

'Then I was moved to the State House" 22 

'Have you seen the old chair in the 
center of the dais at the east end of 
the Declaration Chamber ?" . 48 

'John Nixon began to read aloud to the 
people that fateful Declaration of 
their Independence" . . 54 u 

He was the very last Hnk between me 
and the great events in which we 
had both played our parts" . 61 ^ 




A SILENT PEAL FROM 
THE LIBERTY BELL 

O YOU who come to 
gaze carelessly upon 
me here in my glass 
case think that I am a mere 
inanimate, unknowing, unsee- 
ing thing? Then it is you 
who are soulless automatons 
without understanding or vi- 
sion. How you do chatter 
and jest, heedless of the sanc- 
tity of this national shrine! 
Once I had a voice that 
reached even such deaf ears 
as yours. Pass along quickly, 



please, and do not linger in 
the next room before the 
portraits of your ancestors 
lest you make them ashamed 
of you! But you in whose 
glances are meditation and 
reverence — ah, yes — by the 
misty blur in your eyes and 
your quickened heartbeats, I 
know that you are living 
spirits, and that you have 
already recognized me and 
can hear me communing with 
your souls. 

Are you thinking of all the 
great, stirring events in which 
I have played my part? To 
you they are history, but to 
me they are memories. Yes, I 



10 



can revive my memories for 
you, but first you must re- 
kindle your belief in the un- 
seen and the unknown. This 
present age is materialistic 
and knows only the obvious, 
the visible and the external. 
You forget that there is a 
world within the world, a 
realm of the spirit, a place of 
longings, inspiration and en- 
thusiasm, and that the spirits 
of this unseen world are ever 
abroad in the land, commun- 
ing with the race of men and 
moving them to good and 
noble deeds. Some have lis- 
tened, though what they heard 
was but a still, small voice 



II 



within themselves or the silent 
appeal of such objects and 
symbols as you see about you 
here. Hark! are you able to 
hear these voices? It is well, 
for now I, the old Liberty 
Bell, shall share with you my 
memories. 

It was in an English foun- 
dry that I first became aware 
of myself, though I did not 
know what I was until some 
workmen, showing me to a 
visitor, announced that I was 
the Bell which Robert Charles 
had ordered to be cast for 
his friends over the sea. I 
listened then, as the visitor 
slowly and laboriously spelled 



12 



out an inscription which I 
bore upon my surface: 

"By Order of the Assembly of 
THE Province of Pennsylvania 
FOR the State House in the City 
of Philadelphia^ 1752." 

I felt a strange sensation, 
as I heard these words, as if 
far, far away something were 
calHng me, and the foundry 
suddenly seemed too small to 
hold me. Then the visitor 
continued to read: 

"Proclaim Liberty Through- 
out ALL the Land unto all the 
Inhabitants Thereof." 

But, though these words 

aroused in me a sense of won- 

13 



der and of awe, they really 
meant little to me at the time, 
for the Spirit that was to in- 
habit my humble body had 
not yet manifested itself to 
me. 

Some weeks later I became 
the object of much bustling 
preparation and activity, and 
then shortly I found myself 
aboard Captain Budden's good 
ship Myrtilla, bound for Phil- 
adelphia, which place I heard 
spoken of among the sailors 
as situated in the New World. 

Up to this time I had been 
content merely to observe 
what was going on about me 
and had never troubled my- 



14 



self about my own purpose. 
That I was of much impor- 
tance had become evident by 
the great care with which I 
had been fashioned and han- 
dled, but of what was to be 
my mission in Hfe I had not 
the slightest idea. Then, when 
the ship which was bearing 
me westward was well out to 
sea, I became conscious that 
there were voices all about 
me which seemed intelligible 
only to myself, for the other 
objects on the ship, and even 
the sailors and passengers, 
gave no sign of hearing those 
wonderful alluring tones which 
sounded to me in the lonely 

IS 



cries of the wild sea birds, in 
the unruly winds which wafted 
us westward and in the unsi- 
lenced song of the sea, caus- 
ing strange stirrings and emo- 
tions within me and a great 
longing to answer. But I re- 
mained mute and could not 
find my voice. As I was well- 
nigh ready to break with this 
unsatisfied longing to express 
myself, the chaotic voices of 
the wild birds, the winds and 
the sea became united in one 
far-sounding symphony : 

'''I am the Spirit of Liberty 
-And I speak 
Through the voices 
Of all free things 
In earth and sky and sea. 

i6 



Where Justice dwells, 

I hover near: 

Where oppressors rule 

I enter there 

To kindle in hearts of men 

The fire of protest, that burns un- 

quenched 
Until they rise in wrath 
To wrench themselves free 
And overthrow the Tyrant's power. 
War-clouds are gathering 
Over the sea! 
I hear the low thunders that presage the 

storm ! 
The hands of the Mighty are reaching 

out 
To strike at the freedom of Patriots 
Who sought new lands that they might 

find 
Peace, in my name. 
But I, the Spirit of Liberty, 
Shall so inflame the hearts of men 
That when the storm breaks, 
The world shall see 
The miracle of Weakness conquering 

Strength!" 



17 



The song of the elements 
ceased, but to my astonish- 
ment, within myself I heard 
the same all-persuasive voice 
speaking directly to me: 

**You are a bell, and when 
properly placed you will find 
your voice and speak to the 
race of men. But remember, 
I pray, that you are no ordi- 
nary bell. In the land of 
which I have sung there 
dwells a man of prophetic 
vision, and when other wise 
men wished a bell to summon 
them forth in affairs of state, 
they charged him to provide 
for its making. Then, feeling 
within his soul the first faint 

z8 



stirrings of coming events, he 
did order a bell made over the 
sea that should bear in itself 
the magic of words culled 
from a prophet of old. Thus, 
even before you were shaped, 
you were consecrated to God 
and to Liberty. Many days 
and many months shall pass 
over you before you compre- 
hend the true meaning of 
these things, and you will 
waver in doubt of your mis- 
sion and of me; but I, the 
Spirit of Liberty, shall dwell 
within you and shall not 
forsake you. Remember my 
words, and when the crucial 

day dawns, set thy voice ring- 

19 



ing in a peal that shall re- 
sound through all the ages — 

Proclaim liberty throughout all 
the land unto all the inhabitants 
thereof r 

Again I felt that sensation 
of awe which these mysterious 
words had first produced in 
me. The voice ceased, and 
many days passed ere I heard 
it again, while once more in 
the song of the wild birds, 
the winds and the sea I 
heard only the alluring echoes 
of things that I could not 
understand. 

Soon I was paying little 
attention to these unintelligi- 

20 



ble sounds, for the voyage 
proved long and tedious and 
I knew nothing but my own 
great weariness. In fact, I 
then developed a dislike of 
journeying which I have 
never been able to overcome. 
At last the ship reached her 
port, and I forgot all else in 
the interest of new sights and 
the events which were taking 
place around me. As soon 
as I had been placed on shore 
there came some staid gentle- 
men down to view me, and 
from their conversation I 
learned that these were Isaac 
Norris and the other members 
of the committee who had 



21 



been chosen to secure a bell 
for the State House. They 
seemed well pleased with me 
and said many flattering things 
which I found pleasant to 
hear. In fact, I became quite 
filled with a sense of my own 
importance and merit. Then I 
was moved to the State House, 
and on being raised to the 
place provided for me in the 
tower, a feeling of peace and 
contentment came upon me 
which I can scarcely describe. 
It was as if I had just reached 
a home for which I had been 
longing and from which I had 
been long absent, and I knew 
then that it was this which 



22 



a- 

3 



o 
<; 

(T) 



CO 



o 



w 

CO 
H 
> 
H 
W 

O 
G 




had seemed to call to me in 
the foundry over the sea. 

When all things were made 
ready I learned that I was to 
have my voice tried. 

Now come some memories 
which I would fain blot out 
or omit from my narrative, but 
I have learned the value of the 
truth, the whole truth, and 
nothing but the truth, so you 
shall hear of my mistakes and 
my faults. Perhaps they will 
establish a closer sympathy 
between us. Oh, yes! I well 
know you mortals — your 
strong and your weak points. 

I have told you of my long- 
ing to express myself, so per- 

23 



haps you can picture the 
satisfaction with which I wit- 
nessed the preparations for 
hearing my first pubHc utter- 
ance. In my ignorance I felt 
no fear, no embarrassment, 
for my mind was possessed 
with the sense of my own 
importance and I remembered 
nothing but the assurance of 
my extraordinary value, which 
had so mysteriously come to 
me in the voice of the Spirit. 
Thus the thought of my 
great purpose surged in my 
soul, and the echoes of all 
the praises that I had received 
sounded in my ears and I ac- 
tually conceived the idea that 

24 



my very first tones were to 
fulfil my great mission in life. 
Then, with pride and vanity 
swaying my being, I loosed 
my imprisoned voice to the 
waiting world. Alas! Instead 
of the glorious, pure, resound- 
ing tones of which I had 
dreamed, there came from my 
throat the most hoarse and dis- 
mal croak; and at the same 
moment, so great had been 
the strength of my pride, with 
the first stroke of my clapper 
my beautiful side was rent by 
a most unseemly crack, and I 
must needs witness men trying 
to shut out the melancholy 

discord I had produced. 

25 



Thus quickly my pride was 
turned to shame, and for me 
as for you, long years of real- 
ities were necessary to teach 
me that he who would be 
great must first be humble, 
and he who would serve a 
cause must first forget him- 
self. So did my great expec- 
tations give way to mortifica- 
tion, and then to fear and 
trembling as to my future 
fate, for I had made so bad 
an impression on my auditors 
that they immediately pro- 
posed to return me to Eng- 
land, and with the memories 
of that long, weary voyage 

still fresh in my mind, I 

26 



became utterly disheartened. 
Then the good news reached 
me that Captain Budden was 
unable to find room for me 
on his return trip. Where- 
upon I was exceedingly glad, 
for already I felt that I could 
never be happy or useful save 
in the place for which I had 
been destined and which I had 
felt calling me in the foundry 
over the sea. 

But I had become entirely 
despondent as to my own abil- 
ities, and I forgot the assur- 
ances as to my mission in life 
which the strange voices had 
sung to me until two work- 
men averred that they could 

27 



recast me and make my voice 
all that it ought to be. I was 
next subjected to the inde- 
scribable pain of being re- 
created, only to suffer again 
the mortification of having 
my voice tried and found 
wanting. Then once more a 
period of darkness and re- 
construction and finally I 
emerged as you see me now. 
Step closer and you can see 
the names of the two work- 
men, Pass and Stow, engraved 
upon me. 

Even now my voice was 
far from satisfactory, but for- 
tunately the good God makes 

glorious our imperfections; 

28 



and though I next had to 
suffer the indignity of seeing 
a rival bell brought across the 
sea, its voice, upon trial, was 
found to be no better than 
mine, and it was discarded so 
that I might fulfil my mis- 
sion. 

The years have brought 
wisdom, and I now realize 
that all these trials and un- 
certainties were necessary to 
eradicate my vanity and in- 
stil within me that proper 
feeling for the vicissitudes 
of others which should en- 
able me to strike the sympa- 
thetic chord in the hearts of 

men when the opportunity 

29 



arose. Moreover, those months 
of uncertainty, when I felt 
that each day might be my 
last in this fair land, bred 
within me the love and de- 
votion to my country and 
yours which has ever since 
been the ruling passion of 
my life. In the apparently 
unreasonable rejection of the 
new bell in favor of myself, 
it was brought home to me 
that the spirit had spoken 
truly, and by the mysterious 
words I bore upon me I 
was consecrated to a great 
Cause. Thenceforth I forgot 
myself entirely and bent my 

every effort to the under- 

30 



standing of those events 
which I was witnessing and 
to the faithful performance 
of such duties as became 
exclusively my own. 

At first I was rung chiefly 
to summon the Assembly, and 
at my call came together the 
dignified members of that 
body to discuss the affairs 
of the Province. 

Then, forgetting that I was 
designed solely for public 
uses, there were some who 
made me serve for more pri- 
vate purposes, such as sum- 
moning various congregations 
to worship, until the people 

living near the State House 

31 



grew weary of hearing me 
so constantly sounding, and 
made protest, which resulted 
in my services being con- 
fined to government purposes, 
which was pleasing to me, 
especially since a new duty 
had been assigned to me in 
sounding forth the hours as 
recorded by a new town 
clock recently added to the 
State House. Moreover, since 
the laying low of my first 
mortifying pride in my own 
abilities I had come to re- 
gard my voice solely as a 
public instrument of which 
that living Spirit of Liberty 

would make use as the oc- 

32 



casions demanded. Hence I 
was anxious above all else 
to avoid any hoarseness or 
strain which might have re- 
sulted from too frequent 
sounding in this very uncer- 
tain climate. 

But do not think that I 
sounded only for solemn and 
ponderous affairs of state, for 
it so happened that on fes- 
tive occasions, such as the 
King's birthday and other 
great public fetes, I joined 
in the general rejoicings and 
sang right merrily. 

Perhaps no British mon- 
arch was greeted with louder 
acclamations by all of us in 

33 



his colonies than was George 
the Third, for little did we 
realize, as we celebrated his 
accession to the throne in 
1 76 1, that this was the last 
monarch to whom we would 
do honor as subjects. 

In 1764 the great period 
of my career began to un- 
fold itself; for when this 
same George the Third began 
to seek to fill his empty cof- 
fers by placing unlawful taxes 
upon his American subjects 
without their consent, the 
clouds of dissent began to 
gather and soon were piling 
up on our horizon with the 
fury of a fast - approaching 
storm. 

34 



Now perhaps you will 
wonder that I, a mere bell, 
should have thus observed 
and understood all that was 
taking place about me; but 
just remember, if you please, 
that I had been given a 
superior vantage point in the 
tower of this State House, 
where I could not only wit- 
ness the momentous matters 
being transacted within these 
walls, but could also observe 
all the great public demon- 
strations; for in those days 
all people gathered in the 
State House yard, and thus 
I was enabled to hear their 
discussions and vehement sen- 

35 



timents of joy, sorrow and 
indignation, and to observe 
their most significant actions. 
It was with the news of 
the proposed Stamp Act that 
I began to feel more than a 
passive interest in public af- 
fairs; for, realizing how 
righteous was the great wave 
of indignation which broke 
over the land, I became 
aware that the Spirit of Lib- 
erty was dwelling within me 
just as had been promised, 
and, feeling its promptings, 
my voice took on new, ring- 
ing, vibrant tones, for I too 
was voicing indignation and 

protest. 

36 



Then, in 1765, the dreaded 
Stamp Act became a law, 
and at first we were stupe- 
fied by this unjust blow at 
our rights. With aching 
hearts the citizens muffled 
my voice and set me toll- 
ing, and never had I sent 
forth such mournful tones as 
those which sounded over the 
city on that day of public 
calamity, when shops were 
closed and citizens vied with 
each other to devise outward 
means of expressing their 
grief. 

The newspapers, about to 
suspend publication during 
the period that the use of 

Z7 



stamps should be compulsory, 
appeared in mourning '*for the 
death of Liberty/' But Lib- 
erty was not dead. Rather 
was she being spurred on by 
such events to her greatest 
accomplishments, and she im- 
mediately enkindled fires of 
patriotism and became so 
omnipresent in the land that 
with one accord men rose 
up in open rebellion and 
began the long struggle 
which ended not until Tyr- 
anny had been overthrown 
and Liberty proclaimed the 
sovereign spirit in a land 
of freedom. 



38 



Thereupon important events 
followed so thick and fast, 
and we were all so troubled 
and overwrought and vexed 
in spirit, that my head aches 
with the memories. 

Presently, when the ship 
Royal Charlotte, which was 
bringing the detested stamped 
papers, appeared on the Del- 
aware under convoy of the 
man-o'-war Sardine, I was 
again muffled and set to toll- 
ing, and my neighbors, the 
bells of Christ Church, joined 
in the dirge, while all the 
ships in the port displayed 
their colors at half mast. 



39 



Then came a gathering of 
several thousand citizens in 
the State House yard and 
voiced their protests, and de- 
manded the resignation of 
John Hughes, the Stamp Mas- 
ter, all of which resulted later 
in the safe transfer of the 
stamps to a British man-of-war 
and no attempt to land them. 
In the same manner all over 
the land open indignation 
prevailed and the law was 
evaded. 

Finally, on May 20th, 1766, 
appeared in the river the brig 
Minerva, Captain Wise, bring- 
ing news of the repeal of the 

hated Stamp Act, and then we 

40 



celebrated gloriously. Cap- 
tain Wise was brought ashore 
and feasted, and the next 
night the city was illuminated 
and a magnificent entertain- 
ment provided here at the 
State House, and right joy- 
ously did I join my voice 
in the general thanksgiving 
and toasts to the King. By 
this you may know that we 
were not yet thinking of in- 
dependence. All we asked 
was our rights as loyal Brit- 
ish subjects. 

But alas! Though England 
repealed the Stamp Act, she 
reserved the right further to 

tax the colonies, and the next 

41 



year an act was passed pla- 
cing a duty on various arti- 
cles, including tea. History 
has told you of the manner 
in which the colonists met 
this obnoxious tax, and of 
which I gathered full details 
in the discussions of the 
Assembly. 

Like Boston, we had our 
own little tea-party. The ship 
Polly, bearing the tea, was re- 
ported to be on its way to 
our port, and in accordance 
with resolutions which had 
been adopted at a great pub- 
lic meeting in the State 
House yard to denounce all 

buyers or venders of tea, 

42 



some citizens banded them- 
selves into a so-called '^Com- 
mittee for Tarring and Feath- 
ering," and when the Polly 
was reported off Cape May 
they drew up an address to 
Captain Ayers, saying that if 
he dared to approach this 
city with his cargo of tea 
he should receive "a halter 
around his neck, ten gallons 
of liquid tar scattered over 
his pate, with the feathers of 
a dozen geese laid over that 
to enliven his countenance." 
When I heard this I was 
highly pleased, but all the 
while I was alert with ap- 
prehension for fear the citi- 

43 



zens might not persist in 
their determination to forbid 
the landing of the tea. 

But I need not have 
feared, for on the morning 
of the arrival of the Polly, 
even before I had sounded 
my beseeching summons, of 
their own accord the citi- 
zens began to assemble in 
the State House, hurrying 
eagerly hither, until the lar- 
gest crowd we had ever got- 
ten together filled the State 
House and overflowed the 
square. Captain Ayers, of 
the Polly, was present, and 
hearing the concise and 
peremptory resolutions con- 

44 



cerning the withdrawal of 
himself and his cargo, and 
seeing the determination upon 
every visage, he wisely 
pledged himself to comply 
with their wishes. The very 
next day he was escorted 
down to the wharf by a 
concourse of citizens who 
wished him and his cargo 
of tea bon voyage. Shortly 
afterwards, seeing the stern 
of his ship disappearing from 
our view, I thought I should 
break my sides laughing over 
this outcome of our "tempest 
in a teapot." 

Not having actually de- 
stroyed the tea, we were not 

45 



punished, as were the citi- 
zens of Boston, for the clos- 
ing of whose port I was 
subsequently set to tolling, 
and whose grievances shortly 
moved us to convene that 
meeting which pledged this 
State to the common cause 
of Liberty. 

Then the gathering storm 
burst upon the land, and 
when from Massachusetts 
came the news of Lexington 
and Concord, I immediately 
called together eight thousand 
or more men who agreed "to 
defend with arms, their lives, 
liberty and property against 
all efforts to deprive them of 

these." 

46 



You have visited Carpen- 
ters' Hall, where sat the First 
Continental Congress, but the 
Second Continental Congress 
met here in the State House, 
and so it became my privilege 
to witness the appointment of 
that great man, George Wash- 
ington, as Commander - in- 
Chief of the Army, and to 
hear full accounts of the suc- 
cession of indignities which 
finally resulted in a determi- 
nation to make independence 
the goal of the colonists' 
united efforts. 

Those were crucial days 
for me, for, as each stirring 
event unfolded itself, the 

47 



Spirit of Liberty so swayed 
and surged in every fibre of 
my being that I knew not 
a moment's peace, but re- 
mained eternally alert, feeling 
that my great day was fast ap- 
proaching. I had not long to 
wait, for on Friday, the sev- 
enteenth of June, 1776, began 
the series of events which 
ushered in the dawn of My 
Day. Ah! how closely I 
watched the proceedings of 
that day, awaiting the watch- 
word which I knew was to 
sound for me ! 

Have you seen the old 
chair in the center of the 

dais at the east end of the 

48 



o 



SU 


:; 


V 


ffi 




&3 


o 


<: 


■— * 






"^ 


n 


o 






CL 

w 



2 

O 





next chamber? There sat 
John Hancock, and before 
him that identical mahogany 
table and silver inkstand 
"bristling with quills." Can 
you picture the delegates to 
Congress seated in a semi- 
circle on either side, and 
Richard Henry Lee, of Vir- 
ginia, rising in his place and 
uttering those fateful words 
which were to sound the 
death-knell of British sover- 
eignty in the Colonies? 



"Resolved, that these united col- 
onies are, and hy right ought to he, 
free and independent States.'' 



49 



How my whole being 
thrilled as I heard those 
words and waited breath- 
lessly a moment until John 
Adams seconded the resolu- 
tion! Then, all silently, with 
minds upon their mighty res- 
olution, the delegates filed 
out — to meet again on the 
morrow and appoint a com- 
mittee who should draw up 
the great Declaration. 

After the draft of the 
Declaration had been sub- 
mitted there followed days 
of argument and debate, and 
to me, waiting anxiously in 
my tower, they seemed intermi- 
nable. I grew impatient with 

so 



the race of men and their 
regard for external formali- 
ties, but at the same time I 
pitied them, because in their 
hearts were great anxieties 
and doubts as to whether the 
Declaration would be adopt- 
ed, while I, by reason of 
that Spirit which possessed 
me, knew no doubts and was 
not surprised when, after the 
first three days of July had 
been spent in debating each 
paragraph of that glorious 
document, it was finally 
adopted late in the evening 
of the Fourth of July. 

Almost beside myself with 
joy, I made ready to fulfil 

SI 



my mission; but the Spirit 
whispered: *'Wait yet a while. 
The hour has not yet come 
for the public proclamation." 
Mark this point well, I pray 
you, for some have dared to 
invent great stories of how 
the throngs that very night 
besieged the doors of Con- 
gress, and of how a blue- 
eyed boy gave the signal for 
the immediate sounding of my 
jubilant voice. The truth is 
more graphic than inventions, 
and so be it known to you 
that the Acts of Congress were 
secret and the mighty deeds of 
that Fourth of July were not 
made public until the eighth. 

' 52 



I spent the interval in silent 
communion with the Spirit of 
Liberty and in prayers that I 
might worthily fulfill my des- 
tiny. 

Then ''warm and sunshiny" 
broke the morning of July 
eighth, and from far and near 
came the citizens at my call 
to hear the reading of that 
Declaration which was to se- 
cure Liberty for themselves 
and their posterity. Ah! it 
was a goodly sight. From the 
rear entrance of this building 
filed out a dignified proces- 
sion—the Sheriff and Coro- 
ner with white staffs to usher 
the way, the town constables, 

53 



the military men, the members 
of Congress and other dig- 
nitaries. At eleven o'clock 
the Committee of Inspection 
moved from the Philosophical 
Hall and were joined at the 
Lodge by the Council of 
Safety, whence they proceeded 
to the Square. 

Over all was the good 
summer sunlight, and as I 
ceased tolling not a sound 
broke the silence until in 
clear, ringing tones, from the 
Observatory balcony, John 
Nixon began to read aloud 
to the people that fateful 
Declaration of their Inde- 
pendence. His voice ceased, 

54 










"John Nixon began to read aloud to the people that fateful 
Declaration of their Independence." 



and for a moment, as the 
assembled citizens pondered 
upon the momentous signifi- 
cance of what they had 
heard, I gathered all my 
strength; and then, as a 
realization of freedom began 
to dawn upon the surging 
throng below, a mighty voice 
within me shouted, ''The time 
has comer and, answering a 
vigorous tug at my bell-cord, 
I lifted my voice in that 
glad paean of Liberty whose 
echoes shall resound in the 
hearts of men through all 
ages. Quickly the listening 
people took up the refrain 
and broke forth into loud 
shouts of rejoicing. 

55 



Then a great peace filled 
my being, for by this I 
knew that I had fulfilled my 
mission and had ''proclaimed 
Liberty throughout all the 
land to all the inhabitants 
thereof." 

For a quarter of a cen- 
tury I had been summoning 
these people to assemble 
under a foreign monarch. 
On that day I dismissed 
them — a free people — with 
the benediction of those 
sacred words engraved in 
their hearts ! 

But though my mission 
had been fulfilled, my serv- 
ices were still needed, and 

S6 



the Spirit of Liberty re- 
mained with me, for there 
followed dark days of bat- 
tles and bloodshed, when 
hope alternated with despair 
and men fought to establish 
and make permanent that 
independence which they had 
avowed. 

And I, the Liberty Bell, 
did not escape the trials of 
war, for just before the 
British occupation of this 
city r was removed, along 
with my neighbors, the bells 
of Christ Church, to Allen- 
town, and on the way I 
narrowly escaped destruction 
by the breaking down of 

57 



the cart which bore me. 
For long weeks I was darkly 
imprisoned under the floor of 
the Zion Church in Allen- 
town, sustained only by the 
thought that men had prized 
my services sufficiently to 
send me to a place of 
safety. Upon my release and 
return to the State House I 
heard harrowing tales of the 
sufferings of those who had 
been, during my absence, in 
hospital here within these 
walls. 

Ah, me ! Men grew discour- 
aged, for they had not, like 
me, the prophetic assurance 

of ultimate victory, and those 

58 



dark days were multiplied 
into years before I was called 
upon to announce the glo- 
rious news of the surrender 
of Cornwallis at Yorktown, 
and to see twenty-four Stand- 
ards of British colors brought 
into this city and laid here 
at the feet of Congress. 

The memories darken as 
succeeding events come to my 
mind. The great days were 
over, and though I was still 
called upon to celebrate im- 
portant events, to welcome 
state visitors, to commemo- 
rate Washington's birthday 
and national anniversaries, it 
now became my painful duty 

59 



to toll forth, one by one, 
the deaths of Washington, 
Franklin and of those other 
great men to whom you owe 
your history and I my mem- 
ories. 

There were strange coinci- 
dences which marked these 
tollings. On the Fourth of 
July, 1826, the fiftieth anni- 
versary of the adoption of 
the Declaration of Independ- 
ence, both Thomas Jefferson 
and John Adams passed away, 
and in tears I sounded forth 
the sad news. That same year 
the last surviving signer of 
the great Declaration died. 

On July 8th, 1835, exactly 

60 




"He was the very last link between me and those great 
events in which we had both played our parts." 



fifty -nine years since the 
memorable day when I ful- 
filled my sacred mission, I 
was called upon to toll as 
John Marshall, Chief Justice 
of the nation, comrade of 
Washington and last of his 
friends, lay dead in the 
shadow of this steeple. He 
was the very last link be- 
tween me and the important 
events in which we had both 
played our parts, and as I 
solemnly tolled for his pass- 
ing a great loneliness came 
upon me, and then— my voice 
grew suddenly weak, and 
through my side there open- 
ed this unseemly crack, and 



6i 



the Spirit of Liberty forsook 
this humble body which had 
ceased to be useful to her. 
And now you come to 
view me here, thus pre- 
served by the reverence of 
generations of free people. 
I cannot deny that your ven- 
eration is pleasing to me, 
for it is an evidence of that 
patriotism which is a safe- 
guard of your liberty. But 
one thing I would mention 
in closing. If you really have 
my welfare at heart, desist, 
I beg you, from sending me 
on these long and perilous 
journeys throughout the land. 

Have I not told you how, 

62 



with my very first long jour- 
ney, I developed a dislike for 
traveling? And, examined un- 
der a glass, this crack in 
my side has been found to 
extend much farther than is 
visible to the naked eye, so 
that on each journey I have 
made, I have been trem- 
blingly conscious of failing 
strength and an increasing 
danger of falling to pieces. 
Of course I realize what 
deep regard for me prompts 
these requests for my pres- 
ence, but for this place was 
I destined, and here would 
I remain! I have served you 

well and done my duty as 

63 



did your most venerated he- 
roes. You would not pre- 
sume to send their sacred 
remains a-journeying through- 
out the country, so I pray 
you let me also rest in 
peace ! 



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